May/June 2018

Communities: Education
Attacks on Faculty, Research Raise Concern

Last spring, the American Association of University Professors sent out a call to faculty members: “If you have been targeted as a result of something you said in your classroom, in your publications, or outside work…we want to hear from you.” The association was receiving reports of targeted harassment and intimidation against faculty members, actions it deemed “politically motivated witch hunts.”

Engineering and STEM education faculty have not been spared from this trend—particularly those conducting research in diversity and inclusion. In March, the American Society for Engineering Education released a statement supporting its members and all academic researchers facing such threats.

According to ASEE, attacks on scholarly research have appeared in conservative outlets and alt-right media, as well as on social media platforms. In addition, specific faculty members have been targeted with harassing and threatening calls, e-mails, and tweets.

According to ASEE Executive Director Norman Fortenberry, although work in the areas of diversity and inclusion has long been challenged, the criticism has been increasing, and the association’s board was concerned that such harassment could have “a chilling effect” on legitimate research. Thus, the board issued the statement “defending not only academic freedom but the importance of inquiry, as something that advances the state of knowledge useful to everyone.”

In addition, the statement stresses that “attacks on individual faculty are in fact attacks on the broader discipline of engineering education, and attacks on their research are attacks on the engineering profession’s values of diversity and inclusion.”

These threats, the ASEE board notes, erode the progress toward “developing a culture of inclusive excellence and promoting success through diversity at all organization levels and in all sectors that employ engineers.” If engineering and STEM researchers are faced with such threats, they may be deterred from working in the areas of diversity and inclusion, the statement emphasizes, which will slow down progress on them. Yet, these areas of focus have been national STEM workforce priorities over the last several decades.

ASEE commits to supporting its members conducting research in diversity, inclusion, and equity and encourages other engineering societies to follow suit in supporting members advocating for diversity and inclusion. The statement offers specific recommendations for responses from universities, administrators, faculty peers, and students, as well as industry allies and federal agencies.

As Fortenberry points out, making the profession more inclusive is about adding people in, not excluding anyone. And research into ways to maximize the contributions of all engineers and make them feel welcome is not just about pursuing a social or economic good, but is also “a way to maintain the vibrancy, vitality, and relevance of the profession.”